I had an interesting, and informative, exchange this morning with Dewald over at Tweet Later’s help desk. I had put in a feature request asking that Tweet Later add the auto unfollow feature whenever someone unfollows you; similar feature to what SocialToo currently offers.
Dewald explained that Tweet Later would not be offering this feature, due to excessive use of Twitter API and that it would ‘kill my Twitter API rate limit’. When I replied that SocialToo offers this service and that I currently use them just for this purpose, he sent me to this recent blog post by SocialToo on the newly imposed Twitter API rate limit for whitelisted developers of 20,000 per hour. Apparently, end of last week this new limit went into effect; which explains the recent return of the ‘rate limit exceeded’ notice in my TweetDeck that has been all too frequent in this week, and even the fail whale sightings on Twitter.
What does this mean for Twitter app developers and the favorite apps that we use to enhance our Twitter experience? This quote from the SocialToo blog gives us a clue:
By implementing this limit, it makes it near impossible for SocialToo, or any Twitter-based business for that matter, to grow and build on top of Twitter. Any app that retrieves a user’s followers should be scared out of their minds by this limit, and I would argue the same goes with other aspects of the API.
I agree! This could very well mean the end of the line for many Twitter app businesses. Those that can diversify into other social networks, like Facebook, may survive; but unless this limit is increased, we may be tweeting via the no-frills Twitter web site and that’s it.
SocialToo offered this advice on action we can take for others also concerned about this matter:
I suggest Twitter remove the rate limit and instead work on fixing their API to reduce the need for so many requests to get your friends and followers. I suggest you, our users, spread the word about this and write to biz@twitter.com and ev@twitter.com stating your concern on this matter.
I certainly hope that Twitter gets itself monetized, and pronto, and can preferably do away with this whole Twitter API issue, or at least raise it significantly to allow Twitter to function well. The very thing that makes Twitter unique and useful is its speed at information delivery – faster than email in almost every instance. If they keep this 20,000 requests per hour API limit; I’m more likely to get information faster via pony express.
Action Call:
- Contact Twitter to voice your concerns and ask them to remove or significantly raise the API limit: biz@twitter.com and ev@twitter.com
- Post your comments below on the this issue: do you use any Twitter apps at all? Have you noticed any failure in those apps this week?
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About Traci Knoppe
Great article. The limit is way too low for users and especially developers. I’m developing http://www.AccessibleTwitter.com, and they haven’t whitelisted me, so development is becoming very difficult.
Excellent concept for a Twitter app Dennis! Kudos to you. Hopefully you’ll either get whitelisted soon; or better, Twitter removes or greatly increases the API limit. It’s frustrating for developers AND Twitter users alike.
Hi Jacob – feel free to contact me via my contact form.
I found your blog through a google search and have found some great info. Just thought I might post my thanks! So thanks lol.
I enjoyed reading your post and thanks for the information!
Your blog is amazing, i first landed to another post but then get interested and thought, i will just look a little more arround to see what else i can find out about such stuff
Thank you! Glad you like my blog – enjoy your visit.
ill save this Ive been looking for info on this.!
Very useful information. Thanks for this. You got a great blog
I have been on twitter for 2 weeks now, using a post I saw on websitemarketingblog and really interacting, I know have close to 1,000 followers, and I am happy.
I also use tweetlater, and it looks like they do have this feature now, however it sucks that other applications may see their end soon…
Twitter can be very useful
Thanks! I have tried twitter and i was able to manage followers but i didn’t anything coming toward my business. So i stopped it. I still dont know how some people get success on tw.
I saw your website on digg. great stuff!
I don’t understand how people can use Twitter. To me it is such a waste of time. I never use it.
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Hi ‘Lifts’
Twitter is perhaps not for everyone. For me, I prefer the short to the point messages. I interact with people there daily and have acquired quite a bit of business from my interactions on Twitter. So for me and my business – it works well.
If you are not interacting with people on Twitter, but merely reading – it is pretty pointless and a time waster.
Good post
, i just saw one intresting site where you can buy ready-to-deploy twitter apps , so build on your own twitter apps site .
http://www.scripts4twitter.com
Very cool! Thanks for the link, I’m checking it out now.
Ok – have a couple questions:
1. Are you selling only one of each script? Or will multiple scripts be sold so there could be other sites essentially using the same script?
2. I’m going to assume this is in keeping with all Twitter rules/guidelines on API use, but what if there are changes in the use guidelines from Twitter – can the script be updated to comply?